


Stranger

by TheIronMechanic



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mute Pepper, Pepperony Gift Exchange 2020, diner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29427894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIronMechanic/pseuds/TheIronMechanic
Summary: Tony Stark had the great idea to change to the night shift, his regular customers being homeless people and Peter The Annoying Extraordinaire, until she came in. The girl who even though doesn't say a word, is the most interesting person he's ever met.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	Stranger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MsHermia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsHermia/gifts).



> So I had the pleasure of writing this fic for Pepperony Gift Exchange for MsHermia, one of my fave writers on this site. I spent a good amount of time on this and I'm really happy how it turned out, I hope you like it as well.
> 
> As always, English is not my first language, so all mistakes are mine.

Ever since he started his new nightshift, he had been nothing but grateful. He doesn’t know what compelled him to agree at the time, surely it didn’t sound like a great idea by then, the raise wasn’t even _that_ big, but somehow he still took it.

The extra 5 bucks per hour are great, don’t get him wrong, but it isn’t really worth working from 1am until 9am on a diner, or at least he thought so.

His job consists on cleaning, organizing, making sandwiches - thank God that’s everything he has to make, he can’t cook for _shit_ \- and serving the few customers that come around from time to time.

Most of the time they are either truck drivers that decide to stop by, drunk teenagers that usually ask for plain water and fall asleep on one of the booths, or the usual homeless person that wants something to eat, which he gladly gives (even though he is not _supposed_ to do that, but he just wants to help).

But one rainy night, while he was cleaning his last cups, the door opened, the little bells above it chiming. He doesn’t take his eyes away from the cups. Being 2am, he suspects it was either Clint, one of the homeless men that usually comes around, - the nicest one, if he’s being honest - or Peter, the kid that works on the gas station not too far from there, that usually comes by to eat his favorite ham and cheese sandwich and keep him some company.

That’s what he thought, at least. In reality, it was a young blond girl, probably his age, completely soaked from the rain, who came in. He didn’t notice, but the first thing she did was take off her raincoat - even though it didn’t actually do _any_ good since her clothes were anything but dry - and her boots, trying not to get the floor as soaked as she was feeling.

At the lack of words, he noticed something was wrong. Whenever Clint came by, the man couldn’t help but yell, due to his bad hearing. And Peter, was almost the same, but in that case because of his teenage energy.

When he saw the stranger struggling to come in, he immediately set the cup back on the counter and rushed towards her with a clean and dry cloth.

“Here take this.” The girl smiles and takes it, starting to dry her face and part of her hair. “If- if you need more, I’ve got tons.” She gives him a small smile and shakes her head softly. “Oh, okay then. You can sit wherever you want, the diner is all yours. Just get settled and I’ll take your order when you are ready.” Not wanting to disturb her any longer, he gets back behind the counter.

He imagined she would take one of the booths closer to the windows, watching the rain as he eats is actually one of his favorite things. But what he didn’t expect was her sitting on the counter, right in front of him.

Not many people sat there, and in a way he was thankful. The only one who did was Peter, but he loved talking with the younger kid, so it didn’t bother him. This time though, he didn’t know the girl at all, so it made him a bit uncomfortable.

“Uh- you sure you don’t want to take one of the booths? It’s much more comfortable and spacious.” The girl doesn’t say a word, just shakes her head slightly, her eyes glued to the different sandwiches on display.

Pretending to dry some glasses, he observes the stranger. Her hair is slightly drier now, making it look more orange- _ish_ than before. From his position, he can see her eyes, the bluest eyes he’s ever seen, and her freckled face. ‘ _God, she’s cute_.’ That thought disappears as quickly as it comes when she raises her arm slightly, signaling for him to get closer.

“You know what you want?” She nods, pointing at one of the sandwiches. ‘ _Vegetable sandwich, huh, that’s new. No one ever asks for that one._ ’. “Sure, I’ll get it ready for you in no time.”

He starts to get all the ingredients from the fridge, once he gets them all over the counter, he starts making the sandwich. Soft music plays on the background, AC/DC of course, - he’s the only one working there, he gets to choose his favorite music, _get over it_ \- but even though his mind tries to focus on the song, his eyes keep going to the stranger.

The girl, who hasn’t said a word to him yet, looks around the room, taking in every detail. He doesn’t know what her deal is, why she’s here at 2am soaking wet. The place is too far away from town to come walking, least of all with this rain, but he has no idea were she came from.

“So, what brings you here at this time of night?” The girl looks up but doesn’t say anything, she just shrugs. “Ah… okay. I’m- I’m Tony, by the way. Sorry if I talk too much, you are my first customer today, and with this rain I’m pretty sure you’ll also be the last one.”

He tries to lighten the mood, and somehow he feels as if it works, because the stranger smiles slightly while nodding. ‘ _Progress, I guess._ ’

“Do you want any extra ingredients? Mayonnaise? Cucumber? Whatever you like.” She looks at the ceiling, thinking, until she nods. He looks at her, expecting an answer that never comes. “So… What- what will it be?” The girl blushes a bit, so he tries another approach. “Mayonnaise?” She shakes her head. ‘ _Okay, yeah. This works.’_ “Cucumber?” Another shake. “Ahh… Carrot?” Another one. “ _Shit_ … well… Oh, I got it! Corn! Oh, wait- I can’t put that on a sandwich-“ As he blushes from embarrassment, the stranger lets out a small laugh. “Sorry, I’m so stupid sometimes. Let’s try again, shall we?” She nods, this time a big smile on her face. “Extra lettuce. No? No, okay… Asparagus? That one either? Oh God, well…” Just as he is about to guess again, she points at something behind him. Once he turns around, he lets out a soft _‘Ohhh_ ’. “Oil? Oh God, yeah sure.” He chuckles as he puts some olive oil on the inside of one of her loafs of bread.

“There you go. A Veggie Sandwich. From me to you. Enjoy it.” She smiles as she grabs the plate, he returns it. “I’ll be right over there, putting away some plates if you want anything else. Just- press this if you need me-” He grabs the small bell the cooks use to let him know the order is ready and gives it to her, “- and I’ll come running.”

He then goes back to his task, but as much as he didn’t want to, his eyes didn’t leave the stranger, not even once, making him almost drop one of the plates. She didn’t seem to notice though, so that was good, he didn’t want to come across as a pervert.

“You done?” He grabs her empty plate and leaves it on the sink, he’ll clean it up later. “You want anything else? We’ve got all kinds of desserts, and I make a _mean_ strawberry milkshake if that’s what you are into.” Her eyes sparkle at the mention of the shake. “I see, I see. Can’t resist a good strawberry milkshake, can we?” He starts grabbing the ingredients and the mixer. “I know _I_ can’t. There was a point, when I started working here that I would make one for myself _every night_ , I had to stop though. Because _one_ , I actually _can’t_ do that, and _two_ , and most importantly, I gained 5 pounds in a week, so that was no good.” He hears her laugh again, which makes him look up from the counter, giving her a smile.

“Do you want any cream on it?” At her disgusted face, he lets out a loud laugh, her following right after. “ _Okay_ , don’t need to give me _that_ face. _Geez_.” He chuckles, grabs the cup and gives it to her, whispering. “Don’t tell anyone, but I _hate_ cream too, so you are all good.” Her smile can be seen as she tries a sip of the milkshake. “Good?” She nods excitedly. “Great, glad you like it.” He gets more comfortable, grabbing a stool and resting his arms over the counter, right in front of her, just as he does whenever Peter comes over.

“So, I know you won’t _tell_ me, per se. But what’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” He takes out a small notebook from his pocket and slides it across the counter in her direction, his pen over it. Slowly, she grabs it, writes her name and turns it around for him to read. “Pepper? Wow, that’s new. I like it. I’m Tony, but you already know that.” He extends his arm in front of him. “Nice to meet you Pepper.” Shocked, she takes his hand and shakes it slightly.

“I’ve never seen you around. Did you move here from somewhere else or you just never come around here?” Taking another sip, she scribbles something else on the notebook. “You were born here? _Huh_. And I’ve never seen you around? Not even in high school? You look around my age.”

‘ _I was homeschooled_ ’, she writes. Homeschooled? That wasn’t exactly normal around the area, everyone went to either public or private school, he had never known of anyone who didn’t, until now.

“Oh, makes sense.” A couple of seconds pass, him observing the notebook and her just sipping on the milkshake. Then, the door opens up, the little bells chiming once again. Peter walks in backwards, trying not to get everything wet with his umbrella.

“Man, is it raining out there! I almost didn’t come. But didn’t want to leave you alone, you know? Not many customers today, right-?” He shuts up the moment he turns around and sees not only Tony, but a stranger there too. “Oh, wow. Well, guess I was wrong about that.” He chuckles, drying his shoes on the small mat.

“How was work?” Standing up straight, Tony walks to the fridge to grab everything he needs for Peter’s usual sandwich.

“Okay I guess, not many people came in today.” Seeing as his usual spot was already taken, he sits on the stool right next to the stranger’s. “Could you make it extra toasty today?”

“Sure, buddy. Water as always? Or can I finally give you a beer?” Peter laughs softly.

“You’ll still have to wait a couple more years for that, Tony.” Still smiling, he turns his head towards the stranger drinking Tony’s special milkshake. ‘ _Oh, my favorite_ ’, he thinks. “He’s been trying to get me to drink a beer with him for months now. He’s such a bad influence, no wonder my mom told me to stay away from him.” He says whispering. Suddenly, a piece of lettuce hits his face, making him and the stranger laugh out loud.

“Stop lying to her. Your mother doesn’t even know me, _wiseass_. And if she did, she’d _love_ me.” Tony turns around, giving both of them a cheeky smile.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, man. I’m sure my mom would _love_ the fact that I’m this close to a 25-year-old guy who works on a diner on the outskirts of town, who not only tries to get me to drink alcohol but that also physically attacks me with food.” Sipping on her milkshake, Pepper looks at the interaction between the two guys with a smile on your face.

“Oh my God, you are _so_ dramatic. First of all, I’m only _7_ years older than you, _punk_. Second of all, _you_ work on the outskirts of town too. And third of all, it was a piece of _lettuce_ , it’s not like I was going to kill you.” Finally done with his sandwich, Tony walks back to the counter and places it in front of Peter. “Don’t listen to him, Pepper. I’m a really nice and normal guy. _He’s_ the weird one. Aren’t you _Petey_?”

“Oh shut up, man. You know I hate it when you call me that.” Laughing, Tony grabs a bottle of water and a glass, giving it to Peter.

“You are such a baby.” Returning to his previous position before Peter came in, Tony sits on the stool, arms over the counter, facing his two customers. “He’s been coming here for around six months and he still can’t admit that I’m the cool brother he’s never had, simply because he says that I’m _too old_ to be considered _cool_. Can you believe the _nerve_ on this kid?” He says to Pepper, who in turn, looks at Peter with both eyebrows raised. “Maybe now that you are here, he’ll see that I’m not that old or lame considering that you are around my age. Because-“ he turns his eyes on the younger kid “- you don’t think Pepper’s old, do you?” Peter opens and closes his mouth, not knowing how to reply.

“You can’t- You can’t do that! That’s not fair!”

“All’s fair in love and war, kid” Tony winks at him, a grin on his face. Meanwhile, Pepper grabs the pen, writing something on the page.

‘ _I’m actually 23_ ’

After both Tony and Peter read her words, the waiter gasps while the younger kid laughs hysterically. Pepper blushes, not knowing how to react.

“Told you! You are _old_!” The kid laughs so hard that he has to leave the sandwich on the plate, afraid he’ll drop it.

“Why would you say that, Pepper?! Now he won’t _ever_ let me live it down!”

_‘Sorry :)_ ’ She writes, giving him an apologetic yet amused smile. With a playful sight, he sits back, taking his arm away from the counter.

“I’ll forgive you. _This time_.” He points at Pepper jokingly. “But _you_ -“ his finger moves to point at Peter, who is once again, eating his late dinner. “- you are clearly not forgiven. Next time you bring that up, I’m kicking you out.”

“ _Ha!_ As if you’ll kick out your _best_ customer.” Tony gasps, putting his hand on top of his heart.

“I think I’ll take my chances. Maybe Pepper’ll be my best customer now. Isn’t that right Pepper?” He looks jokingly at Pepper, who nods. “See? You are not _that_ important, kid.” Finishing his sandwich, Peter takes a big gulp of water, making _that_ sound that Tony hates so much once he’s done. “Don’t do that, Peter. You know I hate it.” Peter just smiles. “Oh, feeling cocky tonight, are we?” The kid just shrugs. “Well then, you are not getting a milkshake today, _smartass_. I’m giving it to Pepper. Because unlike _you_ , she’s been a delightful customer.” Getting up, he grabs the rest of the leftover milkshake from before, pours it on a cup and slides it across to Pepper.

“She hasn’t even finished hers!” Turning to look at Pepper, Peter puts his best puppy dog eyes. “Could I please get it back, Pepper? I’m a growing boy. Unlike _that_ guy.” Pepper looks between Tony and Peter, the first one shaking his head, the last giving her his best smile. Knowing Tony wouldn’t actually mind, she gives the milkshake to Peter.

“Yes!” The moment he grabs it, he takes a big gulp. “You are the best, Pepper. If you come around here again, I might have to come more often.”

“ _Traitor_.” He tells Pepper, a complicit smile on his face. “Well, if her coming around more means that I have to see your ugly mug more often, then I’ll just deliver the sandwiches directly to her house, maybe that way you won’t show up here so much.”

“You _wish_.” Finishing his milkshake, Peter look at his watch. “ _Shit_. I didn’t realize it was so late. My mom is going to _kill_ me.” He puts on his jacket and takes out his wallet, leaving a 10 dollar bill on the counter. “It was really nice to meet you, Pepper. While I’m gone, make sure he doesn’t say anything bad about me. My ears ring every time I leave this place.” Pepper gives him a quick nod. “No, but seriously, I hope I see you again sometime.” He walks to the entrance, grabbing his umbrella and opening the door. “See you, Pepper! See you this Wednesday, _old man_!” Pepper waves at him, Tony just yells his goodbyes while cleaning up his dishes.

“See you, _brat_!” He stares at the door with a smile, making sure the kid gets in the car safely, watching him drive away. Once he finishes cleaning, he sits back down on the stool. “ _That kid_. At this rate, I’ll actually get old from all the stress he gives me. Can you believe how he treats me?” Pepper laughs softly, grabbing the pen.

‘ _He doesn’t know how to treat his elders._ ’

“Exactly!” Tony says nodding rapidly before realizing what she actually said. “ _Hey!_ Don’t do that, I’ve got enough with _one_ Peter, I don’t need two.”

‘ _Sorry :)_ ’ She gives him her best smile, while he just makes a face, one eyebrow raised.

“You already said that, don’t know if I believe you are sorry anymore. This is not the way to start a friendship, Pepper. Allying with the enemy? _Shame_. Shame on you.” Pepper laughs at his antics.

‘ _I thought Peter was the dramatic one?_ ’

“So you _are_ allying with him, _huh_? Can’t believe this. To think that I was willing to give you a second milkshake for free. _Wow_. I feel betrayed Pepper, _betrayed_.” She laughs once again, not being able to help herself.

Ever since she walked in, she’s felt nothing but happiness. She doesn’t know how or why, but at that moment, she finds herself not wanting to leave at all, actually wanting to return whenever she _does_ leave. And she does just that.

The moment she pays for her meal, she promises Tony that she’ll come back. With a sad smile, Tony lets her go, missing her company the second she exists the diner.

But just two days later, Pepper walks in once again. It doesn’t rain as much that time around. Still, she actually remembers to bring her umbrella with her, so that does help.

“Oh, hey Pepper!” He dries his hands on a cloth hanging from his pants, walking to her. “Finally decided to come keep me some company?” He grabs her umbrella, putting it on a bucket he purposefully placed there the moment it started raining. Nodding, she walks to the counter, sitting down. “Well, I’m glad you are back. I was feeling a bit lonely.” He gets behind the counter, facing her. “The usual?” At her nod, he starts getting the ingredients. “How’ve you been?” She raises her arm, ready to ask for his notebook, when she notices it next to her seat. Smiling at his gesture, she writes her answer on a sheet.

‘ _Good. Was feeling lonely myself, so decided to come over._ ’ Placing a glass of water on the counter for her, he reads what she wrote, giving her a smile.

“Well, glad to be of assistance.” Getting the final touches on her dinner, he keeps talking. “You know, you actually missed Peter for around 20 minutes. I think he secretly prefers your company rather than mine. He kept looking over to the door every 2 minutes, waiting for you to get in.” He chuckles. “Maybe I should take a picture and send it to him. Wait- _No_ , I better not do that, he might _actually_ come back.” Grabbing her sandwich, he places it in front of her. “Enjoy.”

Another 30 minutes go by until she finishes her meal. Tony doesn’t stop talking, asking her questions, wanting to know things about her, encouraging her to ask _him_ questions, promising to answer them to the best of his ability.

It becomes sort of a routine after that. Almost every 2 days, Pepper comes by. Sometimes it’s only Tony and her, other times Peter is there too. Even a couple of times, she actually sees Clint, the homeless man Tony keeps talking about, who is as charming as he said he was.

But as much as she likes spending time with both Peter and Tony, sometimes she finds herself hoping to spend the two hours she usually stays for, alone with Tony. She tries to tell herself that it’s nothing more than a general liking to the guy. He’s charming, funny and attentive, she has an amazing time with him and he doesn’t judge her for anything, after all. But she knows deep inside that it’s more than that, and she can only hope the feeling is mutual.

Most days she feels as if it _is_ mutual. The way he interacts with her, the subtle flirting… but a part of her thinks, _knows_ , that he doesn’t like her _that_ way. ‘ _He’s just being friendly, Pepper. Don’t get your hopes up._ ’ And she hates to admit it, but her brain might actually be right.

Either way, she keeps going. She tries to get those thoughts aside whenever she goes, not wanting them to affect their relationship. She goes there to have a good time and she knows it. Those days she has dinner there, - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - she feels giddy beforehand, happy almost. Every day. Except that one night.

When she steps foot in the diner, she finds it fuller than usual. That day Tony isn’t cleaning dishes in his usual spot behind the counter, he’s serving four different tables, busier than she’s ever seen him.

Either way, she sits on her usual spot. He doesn’t see her coming in, his back to the door. Still, she waits for him to finish. When he finishes someone’s order, he turns around, grinning when he sees her.

“Hey! I was waiting for you.” Bending down, he grabs her usual sandwich from the fridge, which he made beforehand, knowing she would come around, and placing it in front of her. “There you go, my lady. Enjoy.” He winks at her, making Pepper blush, disappearing a second later, his hands full of plates.

He doesn’t stop to talk to her for another 10 minutes, too busy with the rest of the tables. But once he gets a minute to breath, he goes back to where she is. Pepper doesn’t notice him when he gets there, not being quick enough to hide her sadness from him, which of course he notices.

“Hey. You okay?” He asks softly, putting one of his hands on top of hers. She keeps her eyes glued on his, and not being able to lie to him, she shakes her head. Looking around quickly, he sights, rubbing her hand softly. “Look, I need to finish serving these tables, but once they are gone, you tell me everything. Okay?” He says with a guilty smile. She nods, trying to keep her tears at bay.

Another 25 minutes pass before the four tables finish and exit the diner. But meanwhile, Tony stayed by her side as much as he could, talking to her, making her think about something else, _anything_ else apart from her troubles, and she really appreciated it. Appreciated _him_.

Once the diner is empty, Tony grabs every plate and glass as quick as possible, dumping it all on the dishwasher, not bothering to see if they are even dirty. The second he finishes, he sits on the stool right next to hers.

“Did something happen?” He takes out the notebook from his pocket, handing it to her, but she doesn’t write anything, she just shrugs, sipping on her regular milkshake. “Come on, Pep. You know you can tell me anything.”

After a couple of minutes of completely silence, he was ready to get up and give her some space, thinking she might open up and write something once he’s gone. But just then, she starts writing. When she turns the notebook around, only four words are plastered on the page.

‘ _Needed to get out_ ’

“Get out-? Get out from _where_?” Seeing her face turn more somber, he starts to worry.

‘ _Home_ ’

“Home? What-? Did something happen at your house?” She shakes her head. “Then what-? What is it?” She takes the last sip of the milkshake and slides it across to him, she then takes out her wallet and puts a 20 dollar bill on top of the counter, starting to get up. “Wait-“ As she walks to the door to grab her raincoat, Tony follows her. “Wait, Pepper, please. Is something- is something wrong at your house? Are you okay in there?” She doesn’t take her eyes away from her coat as she puts it on.

“Pepper, please. I can’t in my right mind let you go out there like this, definitely not after what you told me.” With her hand on the door she stops and turns around slowly. “ _Please_. You can stay here. My shift ends at 9am, plenty of time. You can explain what’s going on, or not, I don’t care. Just- just stay here. _Please_.”

Letting out a shaky sight, she nods, taking off her coat once again and sitting down, this time on one of the booths, his favorite to be exact. He stays frozen on the spot for a couple of seconds before he comes to his senses. He then walks quickly back to the counter, grabbing his pen and notebook, a bottle of water and some napkins. He’s almost certain she’s going to need them, maybe even him if the conversation is going anywhere he’s thinking.

When he gets back to the booth, she’s hugging her legs, her head resting on her knees, just watching the rain. She doesn’t look away when he sits down in front of her and puts everything he brought on the table.

“Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But I just want you to know that I won’t judge you. Okay? I just- I want to help you, any way I can and if that means just keeping you company and not knowing what your problem is, then that’s okay. It’s perfectly fine, you’ve got to know that. But uh- I think I’d be of more help if you tell me what’s wrong. But if you don’t want to. _Again_ , it’s _fine_.” Her eyes moved from the window to him in the middle of his little speech, getting slightly redder each second. Knowing what would happen in a second, Tony grabs a couple of napkins and gives them to her. “Here. If you need more, I’ve got plenty on storage, so use as many as you need, okay?”

She nods and brings the napkins to her eyes, cleaning her tears before they fall. For at least two minutes, they fall on a somewhat comfortable silence, listening to the soft background music and the rain.

“You know, even though I don’t know what is happening to you, I almost did the same once.” He sights. “It probably wasn’t for the same reason, but at some point in my life, I felt the need to get out.” He gets more comfortable on his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at the ceiling. “I’m an only child, and you’d think I’d be a spoiled brat because I never had to share anything, and in a way it’s true. My things were _mine,_ my clothes, my toys, my room… but when it came to my parents…” He whispers softly. “Everyone got their attention except me. _Everyone_ was more important than _me_.” He sniffs, not wanting to let his tears out. “My dad was an alcoholic. My mom was depressed. And I was alone.” He lets out a low chuckle. “What a combination, huh? It sounds like a bad joke ‘ _An alcoholic, a depressed and a loner walk into a bar_ ’. And at the time even _I_ felt as if my life was a joke.” He gets quiet for a couple of seconds before continuing. “I was 13 when my dad came into my room drunk off his ass. A glass of scotch on one hand and a-“ he chokes at the memory, but keeps going “- a belt on the other. _God_. I knew what was coming. I _knew_. And I didn’t scream, didn’t try to move, because what was the point?

My mom was completely asleep because of her pills, there wasn’t another house around, the front door was too far away, and even if I did get out, where the _fuck_ would I go?” Lifting his hand to his face, he cleans his blurry eyes full of unshed tears. “No. There was nowhere to go, and if I resisted, it would only be _worse_ for me.” Tony lets out a shaky sight as he continues. “It was the first time it _actually_ happened, but there were _so many_ times where it _almost_ happened, where he just stood there, next to my bed with his belt on his hand, that it somehow felt familiar. It- it became kind of a routine after that.” He takes a couple of seconds to breath before continuing. “My dad worked long hours and there were days when he, and I quote ‘ _needed to destress_ ’. But TV and poker weren’t enough, so he found another _hobby_. And I just- I just rolled with it.” Without noticing, tears started rolling down his face. “I was _fucking_ 13 years old, for God’s sake. _13_ , _God_.”

Not wanting her to see him cry, Tony sits forward, his elbows on top of the table, head on his hands as he cleans his tears. He stays like that for a couple of seconds, suddenly feeling a hand on his arm.

Pepper, now at his side, looks at him, eyes red from crying, and this time she grabs both his hands. She rubs circles on his hands with her thumbs, trying to help him control his breathing.

They stay like that for a couple of minutes until Tony is able to breath normally once again. But even though his tears disappear, hers don’t. She keeps looking at him, crying silently. Not being able to contain himself, he drops her hands and reaches out to touch her face softly.

She flinches at first, but doesn’t move away, just closes her eyes at his touch. His thumbs start to clean her tears slowly. Finally she opens her eyes and gives him a sincere smile, and when her tears are all gone, his hands leave her face, resting on the table once again.

“I’m sorry I dropped all of this on you all of a sudden.” He gives her a watery chuckle.

“It’s alright.” Her voice is so soft that for a second he thinks he just imagined it, but when they lock eyes and she blushes slightly, he knows it wasn’t a dream.

“You- you _talked_.”

“Sorry-“ her voice sounds broken, as if it had been a long time since she last spoke.

“ _No_! No, don’t be sorry. I- I love your voice. Didn’t uh… just didn’t imagine it would sound like that.” He scratches the back of his neck, not knowing what else to say.

“I-“ Pepper clears her throat and takes a sip of water before continuing. “It’s been a really long time since I said anything.”

“Why?” She intertwines her fingers, playing with them.

“My mother, uhm…she always said that I- that I was _useless_ , that I had nothing interesting to say, that nothing- that _nothing_ I said was worth her while. So after many years of that, I decided to not say anything at all.” Putting his hand over hers, he squeezes softly.

“You know that’s not true, right? Everything you say is worth _my_ while. I for one find everything you say really interesting.” Seeing her smile makes his heart skip, ‘ _what’s going on?_ ’.

“I’ve just said _two_ sentences, Tony.” He grins when she says his name, loving the sound on her lips.

“Well, _there_ you see how interesting everything you say is. 2 out of 2 sentences that leave your mouth are great. 100% chance of success.”

“You are just trying to make me feel better, and even though it’s working, it’s too cheesy, even for me.” He lets out a loud laugh.

“Oh, wow. That’s how you feel, huh? Okay then, _Pepper_ , I’ll stick to nodding and saying ‘ _uh_ - _huh’_ for the rest of the night. Is that better?” Getting one of her hands from under his, she slaps his arm softly.

“You are such a drama queen.” Still holding her other hand, Tony intertwines their fingers.

“Glad you noticed. It’s actually the personality trait that I’m most proud of.” He grins, his eyes crinkling, she squeezes his hand softly.

“Oh, so now you admit you _are_ dramatic. Just a couple of months ago, you chastised me for agreeing with Peter.” She says with a smile, making him laugh.

“That’s _different_ , anything Peter says, I’m obliged to disagree with. It’s my job.” She chuckles, holding his hand a bit tighter.

“Oh, yeah. Being the older brother and all, right?” She grins, a slight blush on her face.

“ _Exactamente_. But if you keep agreeing with him, it makes my job _extremely_ difficult.” As they speak, their faces keep getting closer and closer, and none of them show any signs of discomfort.

“I can’t have you bullying the kid constantly, Tony.” Their faces mere inches apart, Tony can feel Pepper’s soft breath on his face.

“I knew you were sassy Ms. Potts, but it didn’t hit me _this_ hard when it was just written sass.” Their lips almost touch each other when he chuckles. “I gotta say, I _love_ it this way even more.” Not willing to waste another second, Tony gets closer, putting his mouth against hers on a mind-blowing kiss that leaves them both breathless. Once they break apart, a couple seconds or minutes later -he doesn’t really know- they press their foreheads together. “I’ve been waiting to do that for so long, you have no idea.”

“Yeah, I think I know how that feels.” Wanting to feel that connection once again, this time it’s Pepper who gets closer, but the moment her lips touch his, the little bell on the door chimes, making them stop abruptly.

“ _Holy shit_. Finally! Omg, took you long enough.” Peter comes in, dropping his jacket on the seat right across from them and walking to the bathroom. “I’ll be there a minute, you keep going, like I’m not here.” Realizing what he just implied, he turns around, hands in the air. “But don’t do anything _too_ graphic! I’m still a kid, don’t scar me for life.” Before he turns back around, a napkin hits him in the face. “Hey! _Rude_.”

Once the kid finally disappears inside the bathroom, Tony turns to Pepper, not letting her say another word before he grabs her neck softly and pulls her in for another kiss, but the moment Peter gets out, they break apart, their smiles present on their faces the whole time.

If once Peter goes home, they make out for so long that Tony forgets to clean up, no one notices. And if it happens more than once, making his boss threaten him about returning to the day shift,he doesn’t give a damn. He’s happy and he’s got the girl of his dreams, who cares about the extra 5 bucks?


End file.
